Upstairs, Clara Jacobs pushed open the door to the study. Aiden Sinclair was busy with work.
"Aiden, can I invite my friends tomorrow?"
Aiden Sinclair looked up. "Tomorrow is your birthday party. You can arrange it however you like."
"Aiden, you're the best."
Clara Jacobs walked around the desk and wrapped her arms around Aiden Sinclair. "Aiden, can you stay with me tonight? The thunder is so loud, and I'm a little scared."
Clara Jacobs had a sultry figure and was wearing a sexy slip nightgown. As she pressed against him, one strap slid off her shoulder. If Aiden Sinclair so much as turned his head, he would see an expanse of pale skin.
No man on earth could resist such a beauty offering herself up to him.
"I have an important meeting tomorrow. I'll probably have to work very late."
Aiden Sinclair took a sapphire-blue box from a drawer and handed it to Clara Jacobs.
"An early birthday present for you."
Clara Jacobs opened it and gasped in amazement. "Wow, it's gorgeous. Is this a token of your love for me?"
Inside the box was a necklace with a teardrop-shaped blue gem pendant, surrounded by intricate diamonds. It was clearly worth a fortune.
"Do you like it? Wear it to the party tomorrow."
"I love it. Aiden, you should get some rest soon."
Clara Jacobs couldn't put it down. Cradling the necklace, she returned to her room in high spirits.
Aiden Sinclair continued to work. Late into the night, Butler Sterling came in to report, "Sir, Miss Walsh has locked the basement door from the inside. She hasn't eaten all day and didn't even touch the ginger tea."
Aiden Sinclair finished the work at hand, then rose and went to the basement.
The basement was pitch-black. He flicked on the light, revealing a lump on the bed.
Nina Walsh was lying with her back to the door, her hair and clothes sopping wet. She had gotten into bed without changing.
'Wants to die? She can't die without my permission.'
...
「The night passed. The next day, the rain had stopped and the sky was clear.」
Nina Walsh had a splitting headache, and her mouth was parched. She touched her forehead; she didn't have a fever, but her body felt like it was falling apart.
She struggled to open her eyes. Staring at the pitch-black room, it took her a long moment to realize where she was.
She turned on the light. Her wet clothes from yesterday were tossed on the floor, along with a soup bowl containing a little ginger tea.
Nina Walsh didn't think much of it. Supporting herself against the wall, she opened the door and went to the kitchen to find some water. When she walked in, she saw Clara Jacobs making a cake with the maids.
"Oh, you're up. Today's my birthday. I'm having a party here tonight. You should have some cake."
Clara Jacobs smiled, brushing her hair back with one hand to reveal the sapphire necklace on her neck.
Nina Walsh's eyes widened in shock. That was the necklace Aiden Sinclair had once given her.
In their two years together, Aiden Sinclair had never been particularly attentive to her, but he had been generous, giving her many gifts.
She hadn't kept any of them except for this necklace. She loved it because it was the first present he had ever given her—and it had been a birthday gift.
And now, he had given it to Clara Jacobs!
'Has Aiden Sinclair forgotten that today is my birthday, too?'
Clara Jacobs was very pleased with the expression on Nina Walsh's face. She smiled smugly. "Aiden also invited the Sinclair family today. Ms. Walsh, have you ever met Aiden's mother? Do you know what she likes?"
Of course Nina Walsh didn't know. To Aiden Sinclair, she was nothing more than a bedmate, a plaything. How could she possibly know?
The color drained further from Nina Walsh's face. She stared at the kettle behind Clara Jacobs and licked her dry lips.
"Do you want some water?"
Clara Jacobs turned, poured a glass of water, and brought it over. Nina Walsh reached out to take it, but just then, Clara tilted the glass and poured the water all over herself.
"AHH—it's hot!"
"Nina, why did you throw water on me?"
Clutching the back of her reddened hand, Clara Jacobs dodged to the side. Butler Sterling heard the commotion and ran over to see what was happening.
"I didn't throw it on her," Nina Walsh argued.
A maid immediately retorted, "Still trying to deny it? We all saw you! Ms. Jacobs was kind enough to get you water and even invited you to have cake. You were jealous of her, so you deliberately poured hot water on her. Look, Ms. Jacobs's hand is burned!"
Clara Jacobs stopped the maid's accusations, feigning distress. "I'm fine. She didn't do it on purpose. Everyone, please stop. It's just... I have work this afternoon, and now my hand is injured. This is going to be a problem."
Butler Sterling didn't dare punish Nina Walsh directly. He took out his phone and called Aiden Sinclair. "Sir, Miss Walsh poured hot water on Ms. Jacobs. Ms. Jacobs is injured..."
Nina Walsh cried out anxiously, "I didn't! She poured it on herself!"
The phone was on speaker. Without asking a single question, Aiden Sinclair made his decision. "She hurt Clara, so Clara gets to decide her punishment."
Clara Jacobs snatched the phone and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Aiden, my injury isn't serious. It's just that today I have to reshoot that scene with the high-altitude wire work. My hand will be on camera, which is a big hassle."
Without a second thought, Aiden Sinclair said, "Then have her film it for you. I'll have a word with the director."
A sharp pain stabbed at Nina Walsh's heart. He was telling her to be a stunt double, even though she had told him more than once that she was afraid of heights.
Besides, she was pregnant.
Nina Walsh screamed, "I'm not going!"
Over the phone, Aiden Sinclair said, "Butler Sterling, have the bodyguards escort her there."
The call had barely ended when Nina Walsh was shoved into a car and taken to the rooftop where the film crew was shooting.
"Get her into the rig."
The film was an investment Aiden Sinclair had made specifically to promote Clara Jacobs, so no one on set would dare disobey her.
Several crew members scrambled to fit Nina Walsh into the wire harness.
Nina Walsh's heart pounded like a drum, her legs trembled uncontrollably, and she didn't dare to even glance down. She clutched her stomach tightly. She couldn't let anything happen to the baby inside her.
"Is the equipment all set?" Clara Jacobs asked as she walked over.
"Yes, Ms. Jacobs. All set," a crew member replied.
"Thanks for your hard work. I'll go over the scene with her."
The crew members stepped away. Clara Jacobs stood next to Nina Walsh. "Today's scene is simple. You just have to jump from here. You'll be in a wire harness, and there's an airbag below. It's very safe."
Nina Walsh was pale as a ghost. "If it's so simple and safe, why don't you do it yourself?"
Clara Jacobs smiled. "Aiden couldn't bear to let me do something so dangerous. Nina, has anyone ever told you? Aiden Sinclair pursued me for six years. I'm his first love, his one true love."
Clara Jacobs took out her phone and pulled up a photo. It showed a younger, less seasoned Aiden Sinclair with a young girl's arms wrapped around his neck. They looked as intimate as a young couple, and the girl was unmistakably Clara Jacobs.
"Do you know how much he loves me? I said I wanted your blood, and he immediately dragged you to the hospital. My kidneys are weak, so he turned around and told you to donate one. Tell me, if I asked for your life, do you think he would even frown?"
A knife seemed to twist in Nina Walsh's heart. In her moment of stunned silence, someone shoved her hard from behind.
Her body plunged downwards. As Nina Walsh fell from the rooftop, she saw Aiden Sinclair's car right below.
'Aiden Sinclair... save me...'